As the trend to conserve energy continues, more individuals are demanding and more governmental entities are mandating that houses and commercial facilities undergo periodic energy audits. An energy audit is a service where a building structure's energy efficiency is evaluated by a person using professional equipment with the aim to suggest the best ways to improve energy efficiency in heating and cooling the structure.
An energy audit may involve recording various characteristics of the building envelope including the walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, and skylights. For each of these components the area and resistance to heat flow (R-value) is measured or estimated. The leakage rate or infiltration of air through the building envelope is of concern and is strongly affected by window construction and quality of door seals such as weather stripping. The goal of an audit is to quantify the building's overall thermal performance. The audit may also assess the efficiency, physical condition, and programming of mechanical systems such as the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, and thermostat.
Leaks in an air duct system often account for a large percentage of energy being wasted in a typical home. In a residence, the percentage of air that escapes out of an air duct system due to leaks, on average, is approximately twenty-five percent (25%). Given that in some areas of the country, sixty percent (60%) to seventy percent (70%) of the cost of a household's monthly utilities bill is due to the operation of the HVAC system, air leakage in an air duct system may represent a significant waste of both monetary and energy resources.
Measuring the leakage in an air duct system is generally the most time consuming portion of a home energy audit. In fact, as much as fifty percent (50%) of the time required to perform a home energy audit is consumed in testing air leakage of an air duct system. The majority of that time is spent sealing off the various air vents so that the air duct system can be pressurized or depressurized to measure the air leaks. Many audits of a building's HVAC system occur while the building is still under construction.
Current methods of sealing off the air vents involve the use of a special adhesive tape that adheres to the face of an air vent. In addition, When testing ductwork for air leaks, an air flow measurement system designed to test and document the airtightness of forced air duct systems in both houses and light commercial buildings is used. Generally, one end of a flex duct is connected to the air flow measurement system and on the other end of the flex duct is connected to a flange. The flange is then taped with a grill mask tape to a grill register of the duct system, to air seal and to hold the flex duct in communication between the grill register and the air flow measurement system. Due to the weight of the flex duct and the flange, over the time of the testing, the grill mask tape starts to loosen from the grill register. When this happens it will show more air leaks then actually exist in the duct system which then becomes a false reading. Also, the flex duct is generally permanently attached between the grill register and the air flow measurement system, thus causing a hindrance to workers who may be still constructing the building, or doing other work in the building.
Occasionally, the register grill needs to be removed to provide access in order to air seal the duct boot of the system properly. This usually requires two technicians, one to hold the register and the flex duct and the other to disconnect the grill register. If there is only one technician, then the technician can disconnect the flex duct from the grill register by removing the grill mask and then putting the flex duct down to then remove the grill register. This process wastes time and money!
Thus there is a need for a register adapter that overcomes the above listed and other disadvantages.